Keeping Fraudulent Shrimp Out of Your Cocktail

Did you know that the shrimp on your appetizer plate could be tainted or harvested by slave labor?

The ocean advocacy group Oceanareported that approximately 30 percent of shrimp products in the United States are mislabeled or misrepresented, making it easy for even the most conscientious consumers to purchase shrimp from questionable sources.

Shrimp—the largest U.S. seafood import—is particularly vulnerable to fraudulent activity, and is included among the 13 fish varieties SIMP targets. Still, NOAA delayed SIMP’s requirements for shrimp until earlier this year, citing a need to gather more information on how similar requirements could be imposed on domestically farmed shrimp.